If you’re looking for the next home upgrade to spend your money on, you should consider getting skirting boards for your walls. These may seem like a minor upgrade for your home but it does a lot of other things for your floors and walls. Before we talk about what these do, let’s first talk about what skirting boards are
What Are Skirting Boards
Skirting boards are basically an architectural baseboard that is placed at the bottom of your wall right where it connects to the floor. These are amazing additions to your home that add more than just aesthetic value to your walls. For starters, they serve as a means to connect your wall to your floor beautifully.
If you don’t have a skirting board, the connecting line between your wall and floor is not going to look pleasant. Some homeowners have that border painted instead of having a skirting board installed and what results is not as bad as not having anything at all. However, the paint tends to wear off as it gets wet usually while you are mopping the floor.
Skirting boards also protect that part of the wall from various damaging factors. This includes wet mops, the legs of your furniture, and many other things. Skirting boards have durable borders so even if they are hit by furniture, they stay intact so long as they are installed properly. These two are the primary uses of skirting boards.
If you’re curious about these boards, then you should definitely check out the different types of them. They don’t just vary in design, they also vary in function. The type of skirting board that you choose for your home could depend on what you currently need for your home. Without further ado, here are the different types of skirting boards.
Types Of Skirting Boards
We are going to talk about the common profiles of skirting boards first. Profiles are basically the shape or pattern that defines how a skirting board looks. These are mostly for aesthetic purposes. In reality, the possibilities for skirting board profiles are endless. However, there are a few that are more popular than the others.
- Lamb’s tongue – This is a classic when it comes to skirting boards. Some of the masterfully-constructed lamb’s tongue skirting boards are defined by their simplicity and elegance. These boards feature two halves where the bottom part that is closer to the floor is significantly larger than the top part.
- Bullnose – Another simple take on the skirting board is the bullnose. This single panel skirting board is defined by its slanting body that goes down to the floor. It’s the perfect skirting board to choose from for modern homes or in homes that have a minimalistic design.
- Ogee – The ogee skirting board is a timeless classic which is usually used in bedrooms, hallways, living rooms, and dining rooms. As one of the premier choices in skirting board profiles, these feature a more complex pattern than the other popular choices.
- Chamfered – The chamfered skirting board features another simple design. Much like the bullnose, the chamfered skirting board features no wedges on its profile. Instead of a slanting design, however, this skirting board has a slight curvature at the center of the board.
- Torus – The torus skirting board features a few wedges like the ogee skirting board. It is mostly used in homes across Britain. Like the ogee skirting board, the torus is suitable for various parts of the house. It’s their versatility that makes them a top choice among homeowners.
When referring to types of skirting boards, this means we are talking about the materials that are used to make them. First off, let us talk about plastic skirting boards. These are usually made using UPVC and they are a popular choice for those who are looking for cheaper options as compared to boards made from wood.
While cheaper, plastic skirting boards are not really popular in homes because of their design. Moreover, since these boards are mass-produced, they suffer from a lack of quality control at most. In terms of durability, they are far less strong than skirting boards made of wood. They can even shatter when hit with enough impact.
If you are looking for a skirting board for your business or a commercial property, these are often the best skirting boards to choose from as they are a lot cheaper. Now let’s head on over to the premier choices.
Premier Skirting Boards
When we’re talking about prime skirting board options, these mostly relate to boards that are made out of wood. A common option is softwood skirting boards. These are cheaper than other types but they are not as cheap as plastic skirting boards. Of course, they come with a few downsides.
These are more durable than plastic skirting boards but since this is softwood, they are prone to warping. This is caused by changes in humidity and temperature. In terms of design, softwood skirting boards come in various profiles so you are free to choose whichever one you like for your home.
The best and obviously the most expensive option are hardwood skirting boards. When it comes to durability, these offer the best protection for your floors and walls. The boards themselves are very durable. While they are still prone to warping, they have higher thresholds to warping as compared to softwood.
Hardwood skirting boards also look a lot better than any other type of skirting boards. The main problem we have with these boards is that they are rather expensive. Still, you always want the best for your home so you should consider the best options all the time.If you want to, you can mix the types of skirting boards inside your home.
Skirting boards might just be the next best investment you can make for your home. While simple, these boards do a lot more than just make your home look better, they add a layer or protection to it as well. If you have the budget, we highly suggest going to the best options you can find.